Several days ago, I wrote about how MEAP testing scores of students in the Education Achievement Authority experiment in Detroit fail to support claims that students in the system were actually making progress. Further analysis of the “cohort data” which tracks individual students from one grade level to the next shows that the situation is actually much worse than the […]

David Nir at Daily Kos points out how big a flip-flopper Republican stealth candidate Terri Lynn Land is: For the second time this campaign, Republican Terri Lynn Land seems to have no idea what her position on Obamacare is. On Thursday, Land said she “applauds” Michigan’s decision to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, which might seem like a […]

Named an Emerging District in the DCCC’s Red to Blue program, MI-11 could be a winner for Democrats. On Monday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced the first 35 districts in its Red to Blue program. These candidates — which include Jerry Cannon (MI-01) and Pam Byrnes (MI-07) — have earned a spot on Red to Blue by surpassing […]

Working together with health officials, vehicle manufacturers, refiners, states, and with input from the general public, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized new emission standards for vehicles and fuels that will have a huge impact on public health and the quality of the air we breathe. The new rules, signed by President Obama EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy today, call for a […]

Today’s interview is with a former EAA administrator who was fired by Chancellor Covington (though she was allowed to “resign”) but never given a reason why. In fact, after she collected unemployment for over a month, the EAA challenged her unemployment on the basis of “misconduct”. However, their accusation was found to be unsubstantiated and their claim was denied. But […]

From the fine folks at Equality Michigan: There are credible rumors that opponents of marriage equality are preparing a rally for 300-600 people TOMORROW morning. We must respond by turning out in even bigger numbers than we did this past week. Equality Michigan is calling on our members and allies to rally at 8am tomorrow – Monday, March 3 – […]

Michigan anti-union Republicans: Solving non-existent problems since 2011 Photo credit: Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog During the 2011-2012 legislative session, House Republican Tom McMillin introduced House Bill 5024 which would impose $1,000/day fines on individuals engaging in illegal picketing in our state and $10,000/day fines for unions that sponsor or promote illegal picketing events. In other words, the picketing […]

Not an authority on education achievement, apparently A couple of weeks ago, after listening to a WKAR interview with Education Achievement Authority Chancellor John Covington and the lawmaker who sponsored the bill that would expand the EAA statewide, Lisa Lyons, I wondered aloud if perhaps Ms. Lyons had already seen the MEAP scores that were released yesterday. Lyons, the chair […]

Millions and millions of Americans have gained health insurance in the last five months, if you’re wondering why Republicans are so pissed According to political lore, Lyndon Johnson spread a rumor during a congressional campaign that his opponent was pig-f*cker. When his campaign manager asked him why he was spreading such a vile falsehood, Johnson allegedly said, “I just want […]

Oh, brother… Kerry Bentivolio, the “accidental Congressman”, has a solution for the atrocious problems facing Michigan road repair. He wants to — and I’m not making this up — give the federal money spent on road repair in Michigan to Republican legislators who have shown absolutely no interest in fixing our roads for the past 2+ years. In an op-ed […]

Actually, it’s more like the Koch brothers’ campaign… Terri Lynn Land can best be described as the U.S. Senate candidate in absentia. Unlike her Democratic opponent Gary Peters who has been touring the state talking to voters, Land hasn’t made public appearance in months, not one where she could be asked direct questions since she began her tepid campaign to […]